The Marches of Estcarp
cymeria.jpg|Cymeria, Greater Bakal River cymeria2.jpg|Cymeria, Greater Bakal River cymeria3.jpg|A Cymerian Forest cymeria4.jpg|Cymeria March cymeriafthills.jpg|Southern Cymerian Foothills greaterbakalfalls.jpg|Greater Bakal Escarpment and Falls greaterbakalfalls2.jpg|Greater Bakal Falls greaterbakalriver.jpg|Falls near the source of the Greater Bakal River greaterbakalriver2.jpg|Greater Bakal River greaterbakalriver3.jpg|Rapids in the eastern Greater Bakal River greaterbakalriver5.jpg|Rapids below where Lake Bakal drains into the Greater Bakal. greaterbakalriver6.jpg|Lesser Bakal River kharstenkeep.jpg|Kharsten Hold lakebakal.jpg|Lake Bakal lakekharsten.jpg|Lake Kharsten at the Torenthi Chasm littlebakafalls.jpg|Little Bakal Falls littlebakalriver.jpg|Little Bakal River as it cuts through the foothills. littlebakalriver2.jpg|Upper Little Bakal Falls, where the river starts its descent from the highlands. sanctuary.jpg|Sanctuary of the Sentinels stormdanovichsummer.jpg|Stormdanovich Summer Home stormgarde.jpg|Stormgarde Keep, home to Estcarp's High Lord in Cymeria templeofages2.jpg|Hold that guards the Temple of Ages torenthifalls.png|Torenthi Falls / Torenthi Chasm The land of Estcarp in the region of the Great Khibiny Mountain Range is divided into seven territories or Marches. Each March is overseen by a Warder of the March of the Stormborn race. The Warders receive the title of Lord or Lady. It is correct to refer to these individuals as Warder or collectively Warders as well as Marcher Lord or Lady. The title and seat of Warder of the March is not purely hereditary. A ritual called the Quickening must confirm and defer the full arcane powers of the Warder to an individual. This means that, periodically, a new family comes into power for whatever reason. Each March has a garrison of Estcarp Guard stationed near the Warder's estate. The garrisons are commanded by the Defender of the March and while they will take requests from the Marcher Lord or Lady, they only take orders from the Seneschal who commands the Estcarp Guard. The Defender of the March is roughly equivalent to a Captain of the Guard. The High Lord of Estcarp is also considered a Warder of the March. The High Lordship is traditionally male although the High Lady can assume rule should the High Lord die prematurely. All the Marches share the same northern border, the St. Elbrus Mountains. Mt. St. Elbrus itself is located in Cymeria. ''Note: Currently only the High Lord is a played Warder. As we add players with an interest in the Marches, we will consider opening up the roles of the Warder. ''The listed Warders are for reference purposes. Should we get to the point where we can start filling those roles, names can be changed or assumed by the new character. ' ' CENTRAL HIGHLAND Removed Stormdanovich information. EASTERN MARCHES 'Alizon March' 'Warder of the March' Lord Andrei Gusarov Lady Dominika Gusarov Defender of the March: TBD 'Location and Geography' Alizon March is the smallest of the Marches in total land area. It lays at the northeast border of Cymeria. It is in turn bordered by Estkore on the east. Its terrain is very steep making normal farming difficult. 'Population and Economy' Alizon is lightly populated due to a sparsity of land that can easily be settled and farmed. The majority of the habitable valleys and meadows are very steep. These steep mountain valleys and meadows, however are home to a hardy species of mountain sheep and an alpaca-like animal called the Suri. Alizon has domesticated both of these animals and exports meat, wool, and clothing products. 'Estkore March' 'Warder of the March' Lord Pyotr Yashkin Lady Sofia Yashkin Defender of the March: TBD 'Location and Geography' Estkore is east of Cymeria, bordered by Alizon in the north, Dhassa on the east and the foothills of the Sundered Plains to the south. and Lake Bakal to the southwest. 'Population and Economy' To be determined. 'Dhassa March' 'Warder of the March' Lord Evgeny Tokarev Lady Kristana Tokarev Defender of the March: TBD 'Location and Geography' Dhassa is one of two Marches named for a lake rather than a mountain. This March lies at the furthest eastern point of Estcarp where the Central Khibins dwindle in size and elevation before rising again further east. It is bordered on the west by Estkore. Its southern border is the foothills of the Sundered Plains. The eastern border is Mt. Fen and the second largest river system in the mountains, River Fen which drains into Lake Dhassa. Lake Dhassa is thousands of years old but was enlarged and deepened through a glacier melting period right after the Sundering. Dhassa is also the deepest lake in the Khibiny Mountain Range and drains into the Fen River at Estcarp's eastern border. 'Population and Economy' Dhassa is a fairly large March with a large population. Blessed with a milder climate due to the lower mountain range, it is ideal for growing several varieties of grapes. Dhassan wines is the March's primary product. They also export the grapes themselves, jams, jellies, etc. WESTERN MARCHES 'Kharsten March' 'Warder of the March' Lord Ilya Kochenkov Lady Viktoriya Kochenkov Defender of the March: TBD 'Location and Geography' Kharsten March is the second of two Marches named for a lake rather than a mountain. Kharsten Lake was formed millions of years ago when a series of mega-thrust earthquakes decimated many of the mountains, causing a huge section of the southern land mass to subside creating a vast shallow lake. The lake is surrounded by gentle rises and smaller mountains.. Kharsten is bordered on the east by Cymeria and the south by Lake Kharsten. Its northwest border is High Hallack, its western border is Torenth March. 'Population and Economy' Kharsten is well-populated. Its people are mostly farmers with many specializing in the growing of a local silkworm species and the plants it thrives on, a form of mulberry found only in this region of the highlands. The weavers' guild makes its home in Kharsten and are known for the magnificent silk garments they craft. The highest prize article of all are the magnificent war cloaks usually woven of a durable wool and lined with the silk. 'High Hallack' 'Warder of the March' Lord Alexei Kashirin Lady Kseniya Kashirin Defender of the March: 'Location and Geography' High Hallack lies to the north and west of Kharsten and is the home of Mt. Hallack and so named because of its overall height. Cymeria is the tallest settled mountain in the range, but High Hallack boasts the most numerous high valleys and habitable alpine meadows. It is a very beautiful region reminiscent of the Swiss Alps. It is bordered on the east by Kharsten March and the west by Torenth March. Population and Economy High Hallack has a large population and due to its many alpine meadows, plains and valleys, their main trade is in domesticated bison and bison meat. Bison is Estcarp's staple red meat. This also a great place to hunt the massive Highland Elk. 'Torenth March' 'Warder of the March' Lord Boris Mirnov Lady Natalya Mirnov Defender of the March: TBD 'Location and Geography' Torenth March is named for the vast Torenthi Escarpment which makes its western border. The escarpment was formed during a geologically active period over a million years ago. As the mountains rose, so did the escarpment, eventually breaking and forming the Torenthi Chasm. At the same time, an underground aquifer erupted and formed the vast lake that covers the escarpment. It is also now fed by all the lakes, rivers, and streams that flow south and west from the St. Elbrus range and the High Hallack range. The escarpment ends in a waterfall so wide that it is impossible to view one end to the other. Torenth has the Highlands largest area of flat and midly rolling land. 'Population and Economy' Where water does not cover the escarpment, rich soil makes it ideally suited to farming. It raises and provides a wide variety of vegetables and other staples such as wheats and grains to the other Marches. 'The Torenthi Chasm and Waterfall' The chasm and its magnificent waterfalls are considered part of Estcarp and mark its western most border. A few Torenthi make a decent income leading sight-seers to view the Falls. Others make a living by leading hunting parties into the chasm after some of the more exotic wildlife of the Highlands including the monstrous and carnivorous Stygians, an enormous flightless bird. At the bottom of the chasm, due to the constant moisture from the falls and being protected from the harsh winters by the sides of the chasm and geothermally heated from numerous volcanic hotspots, there is a near tropical micro-climate. Category:Places